Kari Lake's Election Lawsuits End in Defeat

Kari Lake, a former television news personality and prominent election denier backed by former president Donald Trump, failed to persuade a trial judge to set aside the results of the Arizona gubernatorial election. Lake claimed that the results could not be trusted because they were tainted by fraud or mistakes. However, courts rejected most of Lake’s claims, and her attorneys were sanctioned $2,000 for making “false factual statements.” Lake’s accusation that election workers in Maricopa County did not properly follow a signature-verification process for early ballots was allowed to go to trial, but her own witnesses detailed how that process did occur. The judge ruled that Lake failed to prove misconduct or illegal conduct by county election officials, and confirmed the election of Gov. Katie Hobbs (D), who beat Lake by more than 17,000 votes.